Welcome from Research Faculty

It has been another outstanding year for the Independent Science Research (ISR) Program! Our 38 students are currently collaborating with mentors across the NYC Metro area, investigating critical global challenges ranging from cancer research and climate modeling to fruit fly modeling.

Our 11th and 12th-grade researchers have dedicated approximately 72 combined hours per week to their labs—in addition to their full-time summer work—mastering technical skills that extend far beyond the lab bench. Meanwhile, our 10th graders have built a foundational professional toolkit, learning to analyze complex literature and draft formal resumes. We are thrilled to announce that they have all successfully matched with mentors to begin their hands-on research this summer.

This program thrives on community. We are deeply grateful to the scientist mentors who guide our students daily. We also extend our sincere thanks to Jen Weyburn, Elizabeth Hastings, Maria Nunes, Kerry Kline, Makeba McCray, Larry Le, Raoul Brown, the Science Department, and the advisors who support this work.

Finally, to our ISR students: we are so proud of your resilience. You have supported one another through the highs of successful trials and competition advancements, as well as the lows of rejection letters and grueling lab work. Your persistence has brought you to this point.

Special Recognition to our Terra NYC STEM Fair Honorees:

• Rania: 1st Place Finalist (Behavioral Science) and recipient of the American Psychological Association Award.

• Georgia: 2nd Place Finalist (Microbiology).

• Will: Semifinalist (Earth & Environmental Sciences).

• Nicolas, C.J., & Austen: Finalists in Biochemistry, Robotics, and Engineering, respectively.

We look forward to a productive summer in the labs.

Warmly,

Tamara Machac & Lutz Holzinger 

Independent Science Research Teaching Team